Comedian will star in series 'Howie Do It'

Comedian-turned-game show host Howie Mandel is circling back to the "comedian" portion of his career with a new show at NBC.

The "Deal or No Deal" host will star in and produce a comedy series for the network called "Howie Do It." NBC has given the show a straight-to-series order.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to be in business with NBC once again," Mandel says. "Working with them on 'Deal or No Deal' continues to be a phenomenal experience."

"Howie Do It" will be an "unscripted comedy series," according to the network. Just what that entails, no one's saying at the moment, though presumably it will put Mandel's improvisational skills to use. The show comes from NBC's alternative programming department rather than the scripted development team.

Mandel is executive producing the show along Morgan Elliot, Michael Rotenberg and the "Scare Tactics" team of Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey. He'll also continue his hosting duties on "Deal or No Deal."

Mandel's last series, "Hidden Howie," was also a unscripted effort, blending improvised comedy and hidden-camera elements. That show was developed first at NBC, then jumped to cable sibling Bravo for a brief run in 2005.